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I stood beside the road that day
In disbelief you passed my way
Not recognized behind the red
Pooling beneath your thorn crowned head
Their mercy lost upon you great
Striking you down in heavy hate
You slowed, you stopped, you looked around
That's when my heart did hear the sound
It rumbled deep within my soul
And overtook my spirit whole
That moment when you saw me there
I felt the sin I could not bear
A stifled scream I could not cry
Not fair that you would surely die
There on the hill the cross now stood
Your hands, your feet now one with wood
And drawing strength within your breath
You took upon my rightful death
My face now buried in the ground
Feeling so lost and wanting found
The innocence of life now laid
The price of sin my Savior paid
A love so full, so great must be Amazing grace His gift to me

The new and tender grass gives way Below the weighted form And there inside the clover green A flower newly born I held it softly in between My heart and finger fair My eyes breathed deep its flavors sweet Playing its ivory there

I had worked Monday night then spent the unusually warm Tuesday evening sitting outside in the sun. Isaiah (6), Thia (4), and Ella (2) drew pictures on my legs with washable markers as I snoozed in the happy March sun, anticipating what the rest of the week would look like.
It was Wednesday morning, 6 a.m. when I managed to heave my well rested body out of
bed. My shirt was stretched tight over my swollen belly. This was our
last day as a family of five, and I wanted to get a jump on the last
minute cleaning before I went into surgery the following day.

As I picked up stray clothes and toys I began to feel twinges of pain, subtle but growing. Tim hadn't left for work yet, and I casually informed him that I was having contractions. This was baby number four, which would normally make me an expert in identifying signs of the labor process, but that was not what life had given me despite all of my wishing.
My previous birthing experiences added up to a breech diagnosis (than…

Ripples in the water lay
Who it will touch? I cannot say
Starting small now moving out
Who am I that I should doubt?
The God above who breathed the sea
Could He not use one such as me?
For not from self does greatness flow
I only share what I now know
Reaching down to touch the still
The ripple moves of God's good will

We were ready. Our four children were with family for the weekend, work was set aside, the house was clean. There was nothing that could stop us from heading two hours south to Louisville to attend a youth leader's convention. Well, actually, there was a lot that could stop us, but the obvious things were taken care of. We had plans for an uninterrupted dinner together before the opening ceremonies, and I had been thinking all day about going to one of my favorite places, Panera.
Throughout the day, we'd been listening to the forecast of bad weather, but most of what was predicted hadn't happened. We figured the meteorologists had gotten it wrong again as we headed down into northern Kentucky. Shortly into our drive, it began to rain. I pulled out my unnecessary, fancy phone and began to watch a live stream of the news. Tornadoes, 3 inch hail, damaging winds up to 60 miles per hour were all headed straight for us. The more I listened, the harder it rained and th…

It came wrapped well in pretty paper
I held it to my ear The happy drum moved up in beat
Life's purpose pounding near
I slowly peeled the layers back
Into the top I gazed
The gifted treasure I removed
It left me now amazed
Delicate fingers stroked the view
For with it I am one
A vision of His will for me
I could compare to none
The honest words from Him poured out
And filled my thirsting soul
Smoothing over parched remains
And leaving me now full